Leadership for Social Justice

Abstract

This case highlights the challenges faced by the principal of Forest Middle/Senior High School. In the surrounding school community, White middle-class families are increasingly opting to send their children to private schools. Within the school, critical incidents between White teachers and Black and Latino/a teachers and students mirror the neighborhood unrest. Privately, the principal, a White male, acknowledges that deeply held deficit perspectives about race and class are the underlying causes of the tension, but has failed to do so publicly. This case highlights critical junctures involving trust, race, ethnicity, and class, and examines how this particular leader promotes equity and social justice.